It's true. It's not clear whether the micro transactions will simply enable faster progress/less grinding/make the game easier, or if they are more fundamentally necessary to enable progress at a reasonable rate. I don't mind the former as it could help less patient or time poor gamers but I do object if it turns out to be the latter. Paying once for a game should be enough.

Both of the reviews I posted on the last page say that the "micro transactions" are pointless because you can change lots of various difficulty settings at any point. You can even change things like the rate of random encounters.

As a special pre-order bonus, fans in the UK will also be able to get their hands on a smaller artbook when they pre-order either the standalone game or the Collector’s Edition at GAME before launch on 6th December.

Nothing! I want the game, it's the backlog and funds at the mo. That said, I soon might have enough in the way of Amazon vouchers to cover it so I can preorder again...

I didn't play much of the demo, but the customisation, world and art style really appealed. Combat didn't grab me; typical jrpg turn based affair with the brave/default twist; but then again I didn't give it long enough.

@YenRug I find this worrying, tbh, even if some subtly has probably been lost by machine translation. Retro console RPGs have a dedicated following in the west that Japanese developers seem completely unaware of. I blame the PSP.

Try the demo and read back through this thread for the tips on how to get the best out of it, then decide if it's not for you. At the end of the day, you need to do the random battles to be able to level up, but when you need to get somewhere without interruption you can turn them off.